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Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge outlines the revolutionary system of fighting used by world-renowned fighter BJ Penn. Penn, one of the most technical and decorated fighters in the world today, illustrates fighting techniques that teach you how to mix strikes with takedowns, ground and pound an opponent into submission, fight against the cage and formulate strategies based upon your personal attributes and strengths.

Click Here for a Detailed Review Here

On 12.12.09, we will find out who the best lightweight in the world is as well as watch Frank Mir continue his quest to get to Brock Lesnar. We also cannot forget Florian vs Guida. Check the preview and see my picks in red below.  (Any picks not shown are because I haven’t seen those particular fighters before.)

MAIN CARD

* Champion B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez (Lightweight Title)- I am so torn as both guys have great chances of winning. If B.J’s cardio is not up to snuff though, I see Diego by KO in 2nd or 3rd Round.

* Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir- Mir by submission.

* Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce- Fitch by decision.

* Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida- Guida by decision.

* Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve- Buentello by K.O.

PRELIMINARY CARD- Some fights may be televised on SpikeTV

* Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia- Belcher.

* Shane Nelson vs. Matt Wiman- Wiman.

* Ricardo Funch vs. Johny Hendricks

* Lucio Linhares vs. Rousimar Palhares

* Edgar Garcia vs. DaMarques Johnson- Johnson by KO.

* Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant

With 2009 coming to an end, it’s time to look foward to the New Year.  2010 promises to be an exciting year in the UFC.  Let’s have a look at the top ten fights we can expect to see next calendar year (and a couple that will help close out 2009 with a bang):

10. Rashad Evans vs Thiago Silva

Who will prevail?

Rashad Evans has a lot to prove in his next fight against Thiago Silva, a heavy handed striker.  In 2009, Evans was knocked out by Lyota Machida in a fight which saw him lose both his belt and his undefeated record.  In my opinion, this will be a great fight because both men match up well against one another. Thiago Silva is an aggressive fighter who will look for the knockout, while Evans (who has really improved his striking) is more of a counter-striker with the ability to drop opponents with one punch.  The key for Silva in this bout will be to get to Evans early in the fight.  Evans has been known to take a round or two to get comfortable in the octagon.  If Silva can keep Evans from finding a rhythm then he has a good chance of scoring an early round knockout.

9. Josh Koscheck vs Paulo Thiago II (Possibility)

At UFC 106 Josh Koscheck defeated a serious contender in Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson and proclaimed that he was deserving of a fight for the Welterweight title.  Koscheck suggested that he was more deserving than number one contender Dan Hardy because Hardy ‘hasn’t really fought anyone’ (I guess his friend Mike Swick is a nobody).  Either way Koscheck is eager to get back in the cage claiming that he will fight every month if he has to (a pretty absurd statement).  Until the Hardy vs. GSP fight, look for a No . 1 contender fight/rematch with Paulo Thiago who was also victorious at UFC 106.  Many saw the result of their last fight as a lucky punch by Thiago who put a stop to Koscheck’s momentum in the division.  If this fight does take place it will be very interesting because Thiago is a BJJ wiz, a much different style than Koscheck (better known for his strong wrestling).  Although I did over estimate Koscheck’s striking ability in his fight against Johnson (I picked Johnson to win), this will be a difficult fight to call.  My guess is Koscheck  will do everything he can to keep this fight standing in hopes of avoiding Thiago’s submission game.

Possible Fight Date: If this is up to Koscheck… it would be UFC 107. With all kidding aside if this fight is to happen it will probably be in March of 2010.

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Forrest Griffin (Possibility)

After both of these fighters won their respective fights at UFC 106 the big question became, who do they fight next?  Rankings have Forrest as high as 4th in the division and Little Nog at 6.  This fight could be exciting given that both fighters have agressive styles, but I really see the advantage going to Nogueira.  Nogueira completely ran over Luiz Cane who had been a wrecking ball in the light heavyweight division up until that point.  Forrest is very experienced and has continually battled against the best that the Light Heavyweight disivion has had to offer since coming into the UFC.  One of Forrest’s biggest problems; however, is his lack of ability to finish a  fight.  In the final round of his fight against Ortiz, Ortiz was doing his best impression of a punching bag and although Griffin clearly won the round, he didn’t really do much to hurt Ortiz.  Nogueira’s biggest asset in this fight is going to be his striking, and if and when this fight goes down, look for an early TKO. 

Possible Fight Date: Look for this fight to happen sometimes in the next 5-6 months.

7. Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira vs Cain Velasquez

This fight was originally supposed to be a match between Carwin and Velasquez, but it looks like Carwin has pulled out because his wife is expecting a child just 10 days before the event is scheduled to take place.  It seems likely that Carwin is out and Norgueira is in.  This fight will probably determine who fights Shane Carwin for the Interim Title.  Both fighters have very good ground games, and although Cain does have heavy hands, Nogeuira has a strong chin and is capable of taking a lot of shots unphased.  You can never count out Nogueira whose only loss came to Frank Mir while fighting with a staph infection (this flared up again recently forcing him to sit out for a few months).  Look for him to be well prepared, especailly since he trains with his brother, Anderson Silva, and Lyoto Machida who all are standing pretty tall in the UFC right now.  If Velasquez can’t finish Norgueira early in this fight look for Big Nog to test his cardio. Cain has only seen the 3rd round once in his MMA career.

Possible Fight Date: UFC 110 on Feb 21st in Sydney, this date is in limbo because Carwin’s wife is due just ten days earlier and he is trying to work around this.

6. Josh Koscheck vs GSP

The way I see it, Koscheck is more or less one win away from a title shot.  And at some point this coming year look for him to fight GSP in one of the biggest welterweight battles in recent memory.  Both fighters have very good wrestling , but it may be one of the rare times GSP heads into a match as a weaker wrestler than his opponent.  GSP; however, is so well rounded that he is usually able to exploit his opponent’s weaknesses.  The thing working for GSP is the fact that he is a big Welterweight and as soon as he gets his opponents on the ground he has little difficulty keeping them down.  Since his loss to Serra (which is looking more and more like one of the biggest upsets in UFC history), St. Pierre has been walking all over the Welterweight division with ease.  Regardless of the outcome, this fight will be one of the biggest of the year.

Possible Fight Date: Summer 2010, July/August

5. Brock Lesnar vs Interim Champ?

There has been a lot of talk about the recent ailments of Brock Lesnar who is rumoured to have a intestinal infection.  It is likely that Lesnar will be coming back sometime towards the end of 2010.  The most interesting part of Brock’s return is obviously how much this long layoff will affect him.  We would have to assume an injury like this, which at the end of the day could see him go through two separate surgeries enroute to recovery, would seriously affect his size and strength. However, we must also remember that Brock Lesner is a natural born athlete and that it will  likely take less time than most to get back into form and become the force that he once was in the Heavyweight division.

Possible Fight Date: This one will depend on when Brock is ready and how seriously he was affected by illness.

4. BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn vs Diego ‘Nightmare’ Sanchez

Call me crazy, but I’m not too interested in the Lightweight division.  While it is a stacked division with a lot of very good, well rounded fighters, the one thing that this division is lacking is the knockout element.  There are not enough guys in this division that can end the fight with one good punch, an x-factor that has undoubtedly helped to popularize the UFC .  Luckily for those who care about UFC 107, this fight will feature two fighters that do have the ability to finish fights via the knockout.  Both fighters are very agressive and are not afraid to throw down.  Outside of GSP, this will be Penn’s biggest test in a quite some time. Considering he has run over the best that the division has to offer (which isn’t saying much), it is only suitable that he go up against its newest top contender, Diego Sanchez.  Sanchez has made his second division change since joining the UFC as a Middleweight.  This fight will be very high energy, but my guess is Penn will retain his title.

Fight Date: Dec 12th at UFC 107

3. Georges St. Pierre vs Dan Hardy

Regardless of what Josh Koscheck thinks, or wishes for, this fight is going to take place.  I’m a strong believer that Dan Hardy actually has the potential to win this fight.  Many people might think I’m crazy for saying this, but in my opinion Hardy’s got a shot.  The reason I make this statement is because Hardy’s strength is really GSP’s only weakness, his chin.  As seen in his fights against Marcus Davis and Mike Swick, Hardy was able to rock both fighters with good counter punches (we have all seen the footage of GSP getting dropped by Serra).  His ability to take punches and counter attack without delay may not make him the favourite, but certainly gives him a shot at beating St. Pierre.  At the end of the day I don’t see Hardy winning this fight unless he is able to get past GSP’s wrestling, an element of his game that has been a major contributor to wins in his last few fights.  Hardy has a decent ground game, but if he is able to keep the fight standing he vastly improves his odds of winning the fight.  Although this fight will probably end how we all expect it to, everyone loves an upset and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Possile Fight Date: It looks like this fight is going to happen in March when the UFC heads to New Jersey (Reported by MMAJunkie)

2. Maricio ‘Shogun’ Rua vs Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida II

The first between these two was ripe with controversy after Machida won in a unanimous decision despite it seeming as though Shogun had solved the puzzle that is Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida.  Shogun showed that patience is the key with a series of timely leg shots which led to the first real damage Machida has ever experienced in the octagon.  Dana White has noted that one thing the fight lacked was a willingness from either fighter to be the agressor and really take control of any one round.  One thing that will be certain in their next fight is that both fighters will be more aggressive.  Shogun, especially, will not want this fight left in the hands of the judges.  This adds another dynamic to the fight because an agressive strategy definitely plays into the hands of Machida who is a very patient counter strike specialist. 

Possible Fight Date: UFC 113 on May 1st 2010 in Montreal is the rumoured date for this bout.

1. Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva vs Vitor Belfort

This fight could give UFC fans something they have not seen in quite sometime and that is an answer to the machine that  is Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.  In Silva’s ten UFC fights we’ve really only seen him tested in one round against Dan Henderson, until Silva got Henderson on his back and choked him out.  Vitor Belfort is coming off a solid victory versus Rich Franklin which got him a shot at Silva, much to the discontent of Dan Henderson who clearly felt that he was owed a rematch against The Spider.  Dana White is obviously more interested in throwing guys at Silva who he believes might have some sort of answer for Silva’s unique style.  Nicknamed ‘The Phenom’, Belfort is one of the few people whose athleticism actually matches up if not surpasses that of Silva.  With his devistating punching power, it will certainly be a fight to keep your eye on.  Silva is known as a counter striker (similar to Machida), but may have more difficulty counter attacking against a fighter like Belfort with significant punching power.  If Belfort can land a couple of punches early, this fight could go south fast for Silva.

Possible Fight Date: It looks like this fight is going to happen at UFC 109 but it has not been confirmed given that Silva is still nursing an elbow injury.

(cagepotato.com)

(sherdog.com)

December 1, 2009 by James Gideon

“The Prodigy” BJ Penn will defend his UFC lightweight title against Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez at UFC 107 in Memphis, TN a week from this Saturday – December 12. Since dropping to lightweight in March of 2008, Diego has been a nightmare for his opponents; he is undefeated in four fights and has quality wins over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. Diego sets a pace in his fights that few fighters can match. To use an old boxing analogy – Diego’s style is to drag his opponents into deep water and to drown them, and therein lies the intrigue.

BJ Penn has been a dominate lightweight champion; he is undefeated as a lightweight since 2002. Penn is an outstanding boxer and arguably has the best jiu-jitsu in mixed martial arts. Penn’s one drawback has been his conditioning, or lack thereof. Fighters who have been able to test Penn’s conditioning have been successful against him. Although Penn has been given credit for improving his conditioning regimen since moving back down to lightweight in June of 2007, he has yet to face a lightweight challenger who will push the pace like Diego Sanchez. Diego has the wrestling ability to stay out of bad positions on the ground (New Mexico state wrestling champion), and if Diego is able to avoid getting busted-up by Penn’s boxing ability early in the fight, as Sean Sherk couldn’t, then Diego may very well be the first lightweight challenger who is able to take Penn into deep water. In a recent interview, Diego Sanchez said, “I have limitless energy forever.” Diego Sanchez has the perfect style to drag BJ Penn in to deep water and drown him.

UFC 107 Trailer

November 29, 2009 by Ares-mma.com staff

UFC 106: Penn vs. Sanchez takes place on Saturday, December 12. Traditionally, the UFC posts 10 minute previews on ufc.com prior to the “Countdown” to the event that airs on Spike TV. The preview for UFC 106 has recently been posted. The main event of the evening is between the UFC Lightweight Champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn and number one contender Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez. The fight sells itself, but the fighters are doing a great job of selling the fight as well – check out the preview. There are two other fights on the card that are also worth paying your hard earned money to see – Mir vs. Kongo and Florian vs. Guida. Click on the poster above to view the preview on UFC.com.

(ufc.com) by Thomas Gerbasi

(mmaforreal.com) by SlickRickOO

November 26, 2009 by James Gideon

On this Thanksgiving Day, it’s time to give thanks. With an unusual number of injuries to the top competitors in mixed martial arts, MMA fans have been missing out on many of the fights they want to see. That being the case, there are many things to give thanks for this Thanksgiving.

3. “The Prodigy” BJ Penn

Penn is willing to test himself against the best fighters in the world in any weight division. In 2005, Penn fought the 220 lb Lyoto Machida at K-1 Heroes 1 in Saitama, Japan (unanimous decision loss), and he campaigned to move up to fight Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre earlier this year. BJ Penn is the only UFC champion who has remained injury free of late. Since his loss to St-Pierre in January, Penn put on an outstanding display against, then number one UFC lightweight contender, Kenny Florian at UFC 101. Next month, Penn will face Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, who may prove to be the biggest lightweight test of Penn’s career. MMA fans should be thankful for BJ Penn.

2. UFC veterans Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz

With all of the injuries to the elite fighters in the UFC, veterans Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz have picked up the slack. They have the name recognition to headline pay-per-views, and they have done just that. At 46 years of age, Randy Couture is still one of the top 5 light heavyweights in the world. He has fended off retirement, and given us some outstanding displays in the octagon. Whether you love him or you hate him, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz is good for the UFC and mixed martial arts. Ortiz can headline a pay-per-view whether he is champion or not, and not many fighters can do that. Ortiz could have done without making excuses for his split decision loss to Forrest Griffin, but with Tito that is par for the course. MMA fans should be thankful for Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz.

1. Strikeforce

Mixed martial arts is still in its infancy. As the sport becomes well-developed and mainstream, one dominate promotion may be good for the sport, as it is in football (NFL), basketball (NBA), and baseball (MLB), but at this stage competition among promotions is still important. Competition will help balance the pay scale for fighters with the profits of promoters. High fighter purses will encourage some of the best athletes in the world to pursue MMA, and that is obviously good for the sport. Thus far, Strikeforce, unlike Elite XC, has seemed to be a solid promotion that gives fans the best fights possible. Without Strikeforce, MMA fans may be missing out on the talents of fighters such as Fedor Emelianenko and Nick Diaz. MMA fans should be thankful for Strikeforce.

Main event:

UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

Main card:

Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo
Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce
Paul Buentello vs. TBA

Prelims:

Wilson Gouveia vs. Alan Belcher
Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson
Ricardo Funch vs. Johny Hendricks
Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares
DaMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant

(mmaposers.com)

(lordsofpain.com)

Back in the octagon fighting for the lightweight title, Bad Boy Diego ‘The Nightmare’ Sanchez will face off with BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn Saturday, December 12 in Memphis. Get the walkout-t inspired by Diego himself.

FREE Shipping! If you are a BJ Penn fan you have to get yourself a pair of these RVCA BJ Penn Shorts.  They were just released to the public and have some great features including: Drawcord in the inner waistband, 4-way stretch fabric with nylon spandex inseam and outseam, BJ and RVCA applique logos on front/back and waistband, and more… For a full list of features or to purchase click here.

UFC.com

En los últimos 3 meses, UFC se ha encontrado con una espectacular ola de lesiones y problemas con sus peleadores estelares, de un grado tal, que es necesario destacarla, insistimos, son lesiones y problemas con estelares main event o co-main event, no con peleadores undercard

Lesiones y problemas de salud

• Brock Lesnar – Una inesperado problema de salud, hace dudar incluso que pueda volver a pelear alguna vez, en el mejor de los casos regresará, pero le tomará varios meses, su pelea ante Carwin iba a ocurrir en UFC 106, luego se movió a UFC 108, y ahora está pospuesta de forma indefinida
• Shane Carwin – Aunque Lesnar hubiera estado listo para UFC 108, no se hubiera podido dar la pelea ante Carwin, pues Shane está en rehabilitación de una lesión en la rodilla que le ha dado problemas
• Minotauro Nogueira – Una sorpresiva infección le obligó a cancelar su pelea ante Cain Velázquez en UFC 108
• Anderson Silva apenas se recupera de la cirugía en su codo, y quizá que se encuentre listo para defender su título ante Vitor Belfort en UFC 109, que tendrá lugar el 6 de febrero 2010, originalmente se esperaba que Silva se presentara en el primer evento de UFC en el 2010, UFC 108, lo cuál no será posible

• GSP – Una lesión en la ingle producida en UFC 100, ha requerido más reposo del esperado, además las lesiones de sus potenciales rivales, le han impedido tener una pelea programada
  • Mike Swick y Martin Kampmann iban a pelear en UFC 103 por el puesto de contendiente número 1 para enfrentar a GSP, pero Swick se lesionó en los entrenamientos previos, Paul Daley lo sustituyó, y venció a Kampmann, y fue hasta UFC 105 que con la victoria de Dan Hardy sobre Swick, que GSP tiene contendiente definido
• Lyoto Machida – El campeón semicompleto de UFC, era considerado por muchos, el mejor libra por libra del mundo, pero una extraña decisión de los jueces en UFC 104, provocó una radical caída en su popularidad, una revancha inmediata era pedida por el público, pero se determinó que Machida requería una intervención quirúrgica en su mano izquierda, debido a problemas que acarreaba, lo cuál le evitará poder entrenar hasta finales de enero (por lo cuál no podrá pelar si no hasta mediados de marzo)
• Mark Coleman – El veterano ex-campeón UFC iba a tener una pelea ante Tito Ortíz en UFC 106, pero una lesión en la rodilla provocó que fuera sustituído por Forrest Griffin
• Ricardo Almeida – Almeida iba a enfrentar a Jon Fitch en una de las peleas estelares de UFC 107, pero una lesión en la rodilla obligó a su substitución por Thaigo Alves
• Thaigo Alves – Alves iba a enfrentar a Jon Fitch en una de las peleas estelares de UFC 107, pero una lesión en el ligamento de la rodilla durante los entrenamientos lo ha dejado fuera de forma indefinida

Problemas de contratos

• Dan Henderson – Problemas para llegar a un acuerdo en su renovación de contrato, provocan que sea muy posible su partida a Strikeforce, Henderson debería ser el retador numero al título medio de Anderson Silva
• Quinton Jackson – La gran pelea que UFC esperaba para fin de año: Jackson vs Evans, quedó descartada cuando Rampage firmó un contrato para la cinta A-Team, Jackson incluso dijo que se retiraría de las MMA
• Y la última pero quizá la más grave para UFC – NO PUDO FIRMAR A FEDOR

Impresionante: El único campeón de entre las 5 categorías de peso UFC, que se encuentra completamente “limpio”, es BJ Penn, sería demasiado si algo pasa antes de UFC 107, donde enfrentará a Diego Sanchez